Havana, July 26 (RHC) Cuba strongly rejected a new measure announced by the US State Department on Friday which imposes visa restrictions on Cuban officials and other individuals involved with the island’s healthcare assistance to other nations of the world.

As part of its defamation campaign against Cuba,the ultra-right wing Trump Administration has described that assistance as forced labor, and has even labeled Cuban healthcare personnel deployed in Venezuela as “military agents”.

“I strongly reject the new unilateral coercive measures announced by Secretary of State against Cuba, intended to prevent international medical cooperation with sister nations of the South. Pompeo should know that we will reply to his slanders with greater firmness and determination,” Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla wrote on Twitter.

Disregarding the nature and the ethics of the medical assistance provided by the Caribbean island to nations of the South, the release, attributed to State Secretary Mike Pompeo, describes as “labor abuse” the Cuban medical personnel because they work long hours and live in unsafe areas.

Beyond the announcement, the release does not specify how or where the extraterritorial visa restriction is going to be implemented against the Cuban officials, including their relatives.

As part of Washington’s current aggressive drive against Cuba, also this Friday two hotels and an equal number of publishing houses were added to the Cuba Restricted List which bans US citizens from relating with some 200 Cuban entities and sub-entities.

Hotel Palacio Cueto, located in the Historic Center of Old Havana, and Cayo Guillermo Resort Kempinski, in the destination Jardines del Rey, in the north of Ciego de Ávila province, are the hotel facilities added to the controversial listing.

Also included are Casa Verde Olivo, a publishing company belonging to the Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces, and Editorial Capitán San Luis, attached to the Ministry of the Interior.